The Osceola times., 1887-08-13

A@ch' ana a good many OF the early
lambs got chilled and died.
1--WE had built some pole sheds GOV.
cred with straw for the sheep, on the
south side of a hill about forty rods
from the house, and we threw the dead
lambs up on top of those sheds to keen
them away from the dogs. and they lay
there a good while.
| Zone day in April / was at work
ploughing in field on the top of 8
hill, right cross from the one wher,
the sheep-sheds were built, and, OF
course, in plain sight of them.
stopping to rest my team. happen.
ed to look down on the sheds, and wa.
surprised to see two or three of the
lambs left. though l knew nearly q
score had been thrown up there.
while WAS looking at the sheds,
and wondering what had become OF
the lambs, ! happened to look toward
the river, which was in plain sight, and
saw large bird sailing over it, which
Iatonce took to be an eagle. As watch
ed it with boyish interest, saw that i,
was coming towards me, or FATHER
towards the sheep-pens, where the
dead lambs were.
"All at once it occurred to me that
maybe it was the eagle that had carried
off the lambs, and / resolved to watch
and see. Sure enough it flew straight
toward the she'd and after lowering
over it moment, as if to make sure of
its aim. it su denly dropped down
upon the carcass of one of the lambs,
and then rose again quickly and flew
away, carrying the lamb in its claws.
81 wondered if that eagle was max.
ing regular business of obtaining his
supplies from our sheep-pen, and SO
the next day ! watched to sec if it
would come back again. Sure enough,
at about the same hour the next day.
the eagle came back to the shed and
carried off another lamb, and the next
day it carried off the last one.
Having exhausted the supply Of
spring lamb, as | was still at work in
the same field. | watched 10 see what
the eagle would do next l didn't
really think it would come back again,
but it did.
The next day at about the usual
hour | saw it coming again, but it did
not as before fly straight to the sheds;
it sailed around over them quite high
up in the air, lazily describing great
circles, as if to show that it really
didn't expect to find any thing, but
had come back more from force OF
habit than any thing else; or. perhaps.
it thought may be it had overlooked
one lamb.
However, it did not take me long
to discover that its circles were becom.
ing smaller, and that it was descend.
ing toward the sheep pen. became .
little scared; for thought that, as the
bird had finished the dead lambs, per.
haps it was going to try live one this
time. Still as the sheep were not in
the pen, but had gone out TO pasture.
| thought that couldn't be its object
Looking a little closer, / now saw
that large white eat belonging to
the house had climbed up on the shed,
and perhaps he, too, had come for
spring lamb. Disappointed in that, he
had curled himself upon the sunny side
of the shed, cat fashion, and was tax
ing comfortable morning nap in the
warm sunshine.
THAT the eagle saw the cat was very
evident; that it had at first mistaken
him for another lamb was quite proba-
BILE; that it was puzzled and undecided
as it came nearer was equally certain;
for, as it wheeled around in ever les.
sening circles, could see its head turn
from side to side, rs if to examine its
intended prey more closely.
Pussy still slept on entirely uncon.
scious of the impending danger.
"At last the eagle seeming TO have
decided that if there were any doubts
in the matter. it would give itself the
benefit of them, suddenly stopped in
mid air, hovered for moment to make
sure of its aim, and then dropped with
outspread talons full upon the unsus-
pecting cat. Pussy was evidently sur
prised. caught mapping as it were, for
although there was a momentary
struggle, the bird soon arose heavily.
bearing the still struggling cat in its
cruel claws.
"But if the bird was victorious in
its first onset. it had not flown far he.
fore il seemed to realize that its victim
was neither q lamb nor spring
chicken. 1t began to flap its wings
rapidly, and would turn in the air,
and cavort in a very surprising man.
ner
Pussy, though caught mapping, was
evidently proving to be very much too
wide awake now for the eagles com
fort. The bird would dart up sud-
denly to quite height, sometimes al
most turning somersault, then it
would beat the air with its wings and
shake itself in very peculiar manner.
THE contest lasted for several min.
utes. but the bird was evidently get.
ting the worst of it. | could see the
white fur of the cat plainly outlined
Al ".